The End of the World, Hollywood-style

May 20, 2011 10:51 AM

Photo: 20th Century Fox

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How will the world end? Aside from the Rapture, Hollywood has shown us quite a few ways over the years. Nuclear holocaust was a common -- and all too plausible -- doomsday scenario during the Cold War era, immortalized in Stanley Kubrick's classic "Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb" (1964). less

How will the world end? Aside from the Rapture, Hollywood has shown us quite a few ways over the years. Nuclear holocaust was a common -- and all too plausible -- doomsday scenario during the Cold War era, ... more

Photo: Getty Images

How will the world end? Aside from the Rapture, Hollywood has shown... Photo-1001711.14999 - seattlepi.com

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A comet collision threatens life on Earth in "Deep Impact" (1998).

A comet collision threatens life on Earth in "Deep Impact" (1998).

Photo: ILM

A comet collision threatens life on Earth in "Deep... Photo-1001712.14999 - seattlepi.com

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A giant asteroid is the potential world-ender in "Armageddon" (1998).
Bruce Willis stars as a deep core oil driller who leads a desperate space mission to nuke an errant giant rock before it destroys the world. less

A giant asteroid is the potential world-ender in "Armageddon" (1998).
Bruce Willis stars as a deep core oil driller who leads a desperate space mission to nuke an errant giant rock before it destroys the ... more

Climate change ravages the world in 2004's "The Day After Tomorrow." Here, Manhattan's public library and the rest of New York are frozen in the wake of a catastrophic climatic shift.

Climate change ravages the world in 2004's "The Day After Tomorrow." Here, Manhattan's public library and the rest of New York are frozen in the wake of a catastrophic climatic shift.

Photo: 20th Century Fox

Climate change ravages the world in 2004's "The Day After... Photo-1001723.14999 - seattlepi.com

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John Cusack faces the End Times in "2012," a thriller built around the fact that the current era of the Mayan calendar ends Dec. 21, 2012. In this movie, neutrinos from a massive solar flare are causing the temperature of the Earth's core to increase. less

John Cusack faces the End Times in "2012," a thriller built around the fact that the current era of the Mayan calendar ends Dec. 21, 2012. In this movie, neutrinos from a massive solar flare are causing the ... more

John Cusack faces the End Times in "2012," a thriller... Photo-476345.14999 - seattlepi.com

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Fire-breathing dragons are the downfall of human civilization in "Reign of Fire" (2002).

Fire-breathing dragons are the downfall of human civilization in "Reign of Fire" (2002).

In "The Core" (2000) Earth's molten core has stopped rotating. Experts predict this will eventually lead to the collapse of the planet's electromagnetic field, exposing its surface to the Sun's lethal radiation. Aaron Eckhard and Hilary Swank are members of the team who drill down through the Earth's mantle so set off nuclear charges to restart the core's rotation. Got that? There'll be a quiz ... less

In "The Core" (2000) Earth's molten core has stopped rotating. Experts predict this will eventually lead to the collapse of the planet's electromagnetic field, exposing its surface to the Sun's lethal ... more

If Nature doesn't get us, the Machines will. The "Matrix" trilogy offered one vision of how computers ultimately turn the table on humanity. Here, enslaved humans live out their lives in a virtual reality while their bodies' electrical output powers the machine civilization. Pictured: Heroic human Neo (Keanu Reeves) battles digital enemy Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) and his army of doppelgangers (above left) while non-humanoid Sentinels hunt human rebels in "The Matrix Reloaded" (2003). less

If Nature doesn't get us, the Machines will. The "Matrix" trilogy offered one vision of how computers ultimately turn the table on humanity. Here, enslaved humans live out their lives in a virtual reality while ... more

The Zombie Apocalypse has become a particularly popular end-of-the-world scenario in recent years, spawning several popular movies and even a weekly TV series. Shown here: Zombie hordes in the 2004 remake of "Dawn of the Dead." less

The Zombie Apocalypse has become a particularly popular end-of-the-world scenario in recent years, spawning several popular movies and even a weekly TV series. Shown here: Zombie hordes in the 2004 remake of ... more

Photo: Universal Studios

The Zombie Apocalypse has become a particularly popular... Photo-1001724.14999 - seattlepi.com

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In "28 Days Later" (2002), a contagious "rage" virus creates the zombies.

In "28 Days Later" (2002), a contagious "rage" virus creates the zombies.

Viruses and other biological agents are a popular doomsday agent in Hollywood. One memorable take is "12 Monkeys" (1995), starring Bruce Willis, right, as a time traveler from a post-apocalyptic future sent to the 20th century to find an unsullied sample of the germ that wiped out most of humanity -- and Brad Pitt as the madman who may ultimately release it. less

Viruses and other biological agents are a popular doomsday agent in Hollywood. One memorable take is "12 Monkeys" (1995), starring Bruce Willis, right, as a time traveler from a post-apocalyptic future sent to ... more

Photo: Universal Studios

Viruses and other biological agents are a popular doomsday agent in... Photo-1001726.14999 - seattlepi.com

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Many movies are set after the end of the world (or, at least, human civilization). In "I Am Legend" (2007), Will Smith plays the archetypal Last Man on Earth after a virus kills most of the human race and turns most of the survivors into nightstalking monsters. less

Many movies are set after the end of the world (or, at least, human civilization). In "I Am Legend" (2007), Will Smith plays the archetypal Last Man on Earth after a virus kills most of the human race and turns ... more

Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures

Many movies are set after the end of the world (or, at least, human... Photo-1001722.14999 - seattlepi.com

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In "Children of Men" (2006), humanity faces doom from infertility. As the film opens, no children have been born anywhere on Earth in 18 years, and civilization has collapsed in the face of looming extinction.

In "Children of Men" (2006), humanity faces doom from infertility. As the film opens, no children have been born anywhere on Earth in 18 years, and civilization has collapsed in the face of looming extinction.

The polar ice caps have long since melted in "Waterworld" (1995), and Kevin Costner's antiheroic Mariner is an amphibious mutant adventuring across a globe that has become one endless ocean, with "dry land" merely a myth. (Or is it?) less

The polar ice caps have long since melted in "Waterworld" (1995), and Kevin Costner's antiheroic Mariner is an amphibious mutant adventuring across a globe that has become one endless ocean, with "dry land" ... more

Photo: Universal Studios

The polar ice caps have long since melted in "Waterworld"... Photo-1001946.14999 - seattlepi.com